


For You I’d Slay Dragons and Climb Towers

by SpicyPepper_SweetSugar



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Dark Magic, Eventual Smut, F/M, Kate is a lady, Kate learns how to handle him, No pun intended, Romantic Tension, Seth is a smug bastard, Seth is a thief, SethKate - Freeform, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, So many tropes, Two Shot, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, alternative universe, kidnapping gone wrong, will be resolved, yet kind of not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 04:26:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9367847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar/pseuds/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar
Summary: The life of a young lady in the king’s court could be interesting, from time to time. For the young Kate Fuller, it was mostly just boring nowadays.When the infamous thief Seth Gecko mistakes her for the princess and kidnaps her, she embarks on a journey that she has only dreamed of.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I wrote this in December last year, but due to a long vacation, I didn't have time to post it. It was meant to be a short one-shot but became a monster, so I've decided to split it into two parts. I'm still proof-reading the second part and I'm sorry if any spelling-mistakes made it into this first one. You know how it is sometimes when those bastards just sneak in...
> 
> Anyways, this is a completely AU story. Kingdoms, evil kings, handsome thieves and proper ladies... There's a bit of everything in there. I can't even specify the time-era, but know that it isn't modern times. Just thing Kingdoms people. Yeah, I don't know what else there is to say except "Go with it" haha! :P
> 
> I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! xx
> 
> P.S. Much like with my other SethKate fic (Five Years), I have an edit ready for this story. However, so that I won't spoil the ending, I won't be posting it until I get the last part of this story out! :)

##  Part I

The life of a young lady in the king’s court could be interesting, from time to time. For the young Kate Fuller, it was mostly just boring nowadays.

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the dresses and the jewelry, because she  _ did  _ truly appreciate it all. The problem laid mainly in her no longer being able to remember the simpler life that she had led a couple of years back when she  _ hadn’t  _ been a lady. It had hit her a few weeks ago when she had been alone in her chamber, reading one of her many books. She had tried to recall what her old house looked like and while she remembered the bigger parts of it, the details had been lost to her.

Kate’s father was a preacher and before Kate’s mother passed away, her family had lived in the town that surrounded the king’s palace. The Fuller family had been brought to live inside the citadel after the death of Kate’s mother because around the same time, the king’s main priest and advisor had passed away. Jacob, Kate’s father, had been offered the opportunity to replace the late priest after the king had sent out riders to find another preacher who would be willing to move into the palace. Living within the castle gave the Fuller’s protection that they otherwise would never have had outside the high walls, and Jacob accepted the offer because he had two young children to raise on his own after his wife’s passing.

Once they moved into the palace, Kate quickly became good friends with princess Jessica. The two of them were the same age and as Jacob worked closely with the king, Kate got to play with the princess who didn’t have any other playmates at court. As the years passed, Kate grew of age and the king permitted her to officially become a lady. It had been princess Jessica who hadn’t wanted to be separated from Kate who had made the request, and the king had never been one to deny his daughter anything.

The past six years Kate had been Jessica’s best friend and closest lady. Their easy friendship was based on trust and Kate knew that she would rather die than betray her friend. It could also have to do with the fact that Jessica was her  _ only  _ friend and that Kate’s father was always busy in the chapel. Jacob never spent too much time with either of his children nowadays, especially now that he knew that they were old enough to separate the good from the bad. He had always been a humble man and even though he had secured his children’s future at court, he insisted on living as a commoner himself in the church. It was something that the king liked with him, as far as Kate knew, and these past couple of weeks, she was beginning to feel that maybe she too should reconsider her living. She liked her life well enough but she couldn’t help but wonder if there was more out there in the world for her. The Kingdom was large and Kate hadn’t even stepped foot outside the walls of the citadel since she had moved into the palace.

Sometimes, Scott, her younger brother would entrust her with stories of him sneaking out with some of the guards, but Kate could never take a risk like that herself. She was a lady at court and Scott her brother, but he had never been granted any kind of title to his name. Still, like her, he too lived inside the palace, although he spent more time with the stable boys than with the knights. She had a suspicion that he wanted to become a protector of the realm one day though, and Kate had overheard the king and her father discussing Scott’s natural talent for swordsmanship one day when she had accompanied princess Jessica to their embroidery lessons. Kate hoped in her heart that Scott would be granted permission to learn with one of the knights because he deserved it, in her opinion. Scott had been orphaned during the Winter War and brought to the Fuller’s as a baby. The good preacher and his wife hadn’t hesitated to take the baby boy in and raise him as their own. Kate had always viewed him as her brother and she knew that no matter how mischievous he could get when he stole apples from the gardens or pastries from the cooks in the royal kitchen, she could never stop loving him. That was why she wanted him to have a security in life too. Being a knight would ensure that he had a place in the palace, even once Kate was married and their father passed away.

Then there was the way that Kate sometimes noticed her brother looking at Princess Jessica. The way that his eyes would secretly light up whenever the blonde beauty walked into the room, or when her arm locked with Kate’s as they strolled through the garden and caught Scott picking fruit from the king’s trees. Jessica never told on him either though, so Kate couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else going on there that she didn’t know about. It worried her, most of all, because they couldn’t afford to be a part of a scandal. She hoped that Scott knew what he was doing.

Not that it would matter much after tonight.

Kate looked at Jessica who stood in front of the tall mirror, twirling as she took in the dress that she had pulled on with Kate and the servant’s help. Tonight, the king was hosting a ball in order to celebrate the princess’ engagement to a prince in a neighboring country and all the ladies and lords in the Kingdom were invited. Kate knew what was expected of her. She was meant to dance with potential suitors and preferably catch the eye of someone who was wealthy enough to be able to offer her safety and security in the future. She was a few weeks away from her eighteenth birthday, but so far no man had made her feel anything special. The only memory she had of any kind of affection from a man had been when Jessica’s cousin lord Kyle had stolen a kiss from her during a game of hide-and-go-seek when they had been children. She had been embarrassed and hidden away from everyone for the rest of the day until Jessica had forced her to tell her what had happened. The princess had been furious and demanded that Kyle apologized to Kate, which had only served to embarrass Kate even more. She never told Jessica that though.

“Lady Kate,” Jessica said and Kate suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the princess who always insisted on calling her ‘lady’. “Tonight is going to be the most wonderful night ever,” Jessica continued. “I want to dance until my feet bleed and I suggest you do the same, my sweet friend.”

“To dance the whole night away would be a wonderful thing,” Kate said, not sounding as if she truly believed it. She did though. She had no doubt at all that it would truly be a night to remember, but that didn’t mean that Kate would enjoy practically selling herself to men who wished to marry her.

“Do not tell me that you would rather spend the night alone in your tower reading, lady Kate?” Jessica smiled knowingly. Her eyes twinkled, “I am going to make sure that you dance with the most handsome man at the ball.” Her friend walked over to one of the drawers taking out a small box. “I want you to feel like a true princess, Katie,” Jessica told her, opening the box, taking out one of her old tiaras.

Kate’s eyes widened as Jessica placed the diadem on her head, a gasp falling from her lips, “I  _ can’t! _ ”

“You can and you most certainly will,” Jessica insisted. “I want you by my side as my equal and best friend tonight, Katie. I want you to be a princess tonight too.”

Kate swallowed thickly when Jessica held up a small mirror in front of her and she took in the way that the sparkling gems in the tiara made her bright eyes shine. With her hair curled and pinned up and the fancy dress that she had also gotten as a gift from Jessica, she would without a doubt look like a princess.

A princess that she wasn’t.

Was she vain to think that the piece of jewelry was stunning? Her father had taught her about the sins and virtues, the rights and the wrongs. She knew that it wasn’t right to think of appearance but deep down, she also knew that it was one of the few ways that people got what they wanted in this world.

In the end, Kate only nodded, accepted the gift and watched as a wide smile spread over Jessica’s lips.

***

Kate’s feet hurt as another knight asked her to dance but she knew that she couldn’t decline. It would be improper of her and her father was sitting next to the king, doing his part as his majesty’s advisor. They were too deep in their conversation to notice the people dancing and she didn’t think that he would actually notice if she skipped one dance. She still knew that if she declined, word would get around and people would begin to assume things of her. There were always people who whispered around the castle and they always managed to make up rumors about people that could ruin them.

She had experienced it firsthand when her mother had passed. There had been rumors then about her father losing his faith and falling to the seduction of drinking. Maybe things would have ended that way, if the king hadn’t been kind enough to take them in. Kate knew for certain that her father had never touched anything other than wine, but sometimes, when she looked at him, she worried.

She accepted the knight’s request to dance and he led her out on the dancefloor, his hand resting appropriately on her waist as he swirled them around in time with the music. He was handsome, like most knights were, but she quickly began to lose interest in him, her eyes straying to where Jessica was talking to Scott about something. She could recognize the frown on her friend’s face and her brother looked almost distraught so Kate excused herself and began approaching them. She had almost reached them when someone stood in her way and she looked up to see a man she didn’t recognize. Chills made their way up her spine and she got a bad feeling in her stomach.

“Lady Kate,” the man said, giving her a small bow. “Would you do me the honor of sharing a dance with me?”

Kate blinked a couple of times, looking past him only to see the hem of Jessica’s dress disappearing out the door. Scott was nowhere to be seen either.

“I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to you, Sir,” she curtsied politely.

“Lord Brasa,” the man said, his eyes shining strangely. “I come from another kingdom, not too far from here.”

“Lord Brasa,” Kate repeated slowly, trying to remember if she had ever heard Jessica or the king mentioning the man. Her mind was too focused on Scott and Jessica’s sudden disappearance though, that she couldn’t think of anything else. It didn’t change the fact that she had been raised to be polite and proper. “I would love to share a dance with you.”

The man was older than her and Kate knew deep in her heart that there was something strange about him. He was alluring, speaking slowly and in an almost hushed tone about how things were changing in the world and how things were about to be very different. It was ominous, almost and Kate wanted to question him about it all but she wasn’t sure how to bring it up without being improper. After all, he was a lord and she was just a lady because of the kindness of his majesty the king.

Lord Brasa danced with her for a good while before excusing himself, telling her that he had some work to attend to. With another curtsey, Kate finally walked out of the ballroom to try and locate her brother and her best friend. She walked through the empty hallways, feeling as if someone was watching her constantly but she brushed off the bad feeling. It appeared that she had read one too many books because she was starting to get paranoid.

Just as she rounded one of the corners on her way to Jessica’s chamber, she shrieked when someone closed in on her from behind, pressing her front flat against the stone wall. A leather-clad hand covered her mouth as she struggled to get free, but whoever her attacker was, he was much bigger and stronger than her.

“Hello, princess,” a husky voice whispered in her ear, hot breath fanning over her cheek and Kate closed her eyes when her assailant pressed a cloth over her nose and mouth. A strange smell consumed her senses and within seconds, the world turned black.

***

When she woke up everything was fuzzy. She forced herself to blink a few times, taking in her surroundings as everything began to clear up. Kate didn’t recognize where she was, never having seen the interior of the room that she had clearly been locked up in. Panic began to well inside of her once she tried to move but found herself restricted by ropes which were holding her tied to the bed she was laying in. Struggling against her bonds, her eyes darted wildly around the room. There was only one door, which she had to assume was locked, and two windows that had been covered with thick, black curtains. There was no way for her to tell what time of the day it was and she had no recollection of what had happened to her. The only thing she remembered was how someone had attacked her in the hallway and-

_ Oh God. _

Whoever they were, they thought that she was the princess!

Kate tried to calm her breath again, her mind going over the few options she had. Perhaps she could try to reason with her captives and tell them that she wasn’t Jessica. Would her telling them the truth somehow make them realize their mistake? The tiara still resting on her head felt heavier. Kate frowned to herself, wondering if it telling the truth would instead put her best friend in danger. What if the kidnapper decided to just kill her and then go back to get the real princess instead?

The better option for her could be to just remain quiet and not answer any questions at all. The worst thing that could happen to her then would be that she was either sold or killed, or the kidnapper would ask for a ransom in order for her to be safely returned to the castle. Kate felt tears pricking her eyes when she realized that there was no way for her to get out of this mess alive. Why would the king pay ransom to save her? She was a lady of the court, sure, but only because her father worked as his advisor. Out of everyone who could have been taken, she was probably one of the people with the least worth.

Before she could let her tears fall, she tensed as the door to the room opened. Kate watched the man walk in, her eyes falling to his hands which were covered by leather gloves. He wore a black hood which hid his face from her, but everything about him screamed danger.

“Sir, please,” she started slowly, without even thinking. The man stood by the dresser and opened one of the drawers to look for something there. He didn’t pay any mind to her. “Please, just… Let me go,” she continued to plead.

“No can do, princess,” the man finally spoke and she instantly remembered the gravelly voice from the attacker. So they  _ were  _ the same person. “You’re my ticket out of this shithole of a country and since you recently got engaged, I’m just going to assume that your value has gone up considering that there’s going to be a demand for you in two kingdoms,” the man continued, waving his hand at her dismissively.

“I’m not the princess, I swear to God,” she tried and finally, this made him pause.

She observed him as he turned toward her, reaching up to remove his cloak, probably so that he could get a better look at her too. As the hood fell back, Kate hated herself a bit for the way that her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He was handsome, and as the thought crossed her mind she instantly chided herself. His eyes were dark, looking almost black in the dimly lit room, his jaw chiseled and covered with an unkempt beard. She noticed some black lines over his skin and her eyes widened slightly. Of course, Kate had seen men who had inked their skin before, but in the palace, it wasn’t a common appearance. It made her curious, although she forced that thought away.

“Your god won’t do you any good here, sweetheart. Why would you be wearing a crown if you aren’t a princess? Last time I checked, those were the acquirements for a lady of your stature: to be beautiful and to be wearing a crown,” the man said, his dark eyes zeroing in on her face as he approached the bed slowly, almost like a wild animal nearing its prey.

“The princess is my friend,” Kate answered, ignoring the fact that he had in a way referred to her as beautiful. “She let me borrow it for the night.” She watched the man’s eyes narrow at her and she bit her lip as she stared at him, her heart quickening. “Please don’t hurt me,” she said and she noticed how something in his eyes flared at that. Before she could say anything else, the man turned around and left the room, closing the door behind himself.

When she heard the lock turn, Kate couldn’t keep the tears at bay any longer.

***

The tears had dried on her cheeks by the time the door opened again. Kate glanced up and met the eyes of her kidnapper who once more paused at the sight of her, as if he somehow had forgotten that she was even there. She didn’t know how much time that had passed, but she did know that her arms were hurting from being tied to the bedpost and her legs were starting to go numb beneath the heavy layers of the dress. Her corset was digging painfully into her skin and her scalp hurt from her hair being tied up too tightly.

With a sigh, he started to walk toward the bed. Kate reacted instinctively, trying to move away from him as she struggled once more against the ropes that she knew would leave marks behind on her wrists. The bed dipped down when his weight settled on it and he looked at her. “That is normally not the first reaction that I get when I have a princess laying in my bed,” he mused, almost absentmindedly.

Kate’s eyes widened at his admission, fear coursing through her once again as she began seeing the horrid things that he might do to her in her mind. The man met her eyes then and his expression softened a bit, almost as if he could see what was going on inside of her head.

“Don’t worry, princess,” he snorted. “I might be a bastard, but I’m not a fucking bastard.”

Kate gasped at the crude language and the man rolled his eyes. For a moment, Kate regretted her own reaction because she wasn’t sure if she should continue to show weakness the way that she was.

“How do I know if you’re telling the truth?” Kate asked, her tone more challenging than she had intended for it to be.

“I won’t touch you, sweetheart,” he told her, sounding sincere but teasing. “Well, unless you ask me to,” he added shamelessly. Kate gave him a look of disgust, furrowing her brows and scrunching up her nose. The man chuckled at her and shook his head, running his fingers through his dark hair. “Look,” he said after a moment, “I promise that if you do as I say, you’re going to get out of this without any bumps or scrapes. Does that sound good?”

Kate found herself slowly nodding at him and he let out a small sigh of relief. “What are you going to do with me?” she asked him then, not wanting to just accept whatever her fate would end up being. “What do you want from me?”

He watched her carefully for a second or two. “I’m going to trade you,” he admitted. “My brother has been captured by a bad man and I want to get him out and then buy the two of us passage to the Freeland.”

“But I’m not the princess,” Kate bit out angrily this time.

“Who are you then?” he wondered, quirking his eyebrow at her.

“I’m just the daughter of the king’s priest,” she told him.

The man’s eyes brightened then, traveling over her body. For a moment she felt self-conscious because the dress that Jessica had made her wear was a bit more revealing than she was used to.

“A preacher’s daughter,” he said and she realized that he was amused once more. He didn’t look as if he believed her and Kate finally sighed, her head tilting back as she looked up at the ceiling. There was no way that she was going to convince him that she was telling the truth.

“What’s your name?” she asked instead.

“Seth,” he replied instantly and she glanced at him and the way that he frowned to himself. Clearly, he had not been planning on revealing who he was to her.

“Seth,” she said his name slowly as she met his eyes. “Do you mind letting me go,” she raised her hands as much as the ropes allowed her to move, “so that maybe I can… You know.” He looked at her skeptically and she rolled her eyes at him. “I am a human being,” she said. “I have needs, just like anyone else and I’ve been tied up for  _ hours _ . I need to relieve myself or else you are going to have a mess to clean-” 

“Okay, princess,” he stopped her from continuing. He moved on the bed so he was kneeling next to her and she could see the smirk on his face as he leaned over her, reaching for the rope around her left wrist. His eyes were level with hers and she felt her cheeks heat up, hating the fact that it would be clear that she was getting flustered. She wanted to wipe the smugness right off of his face but until he untied her, she was helpless. Besides, compared to him, she was so small that he would without a doubt be able to pin her down if he had to in order to keep her restrained.

Finally, when he untied the last knot on the other side of her, Kate sat up straighter on the bed and then moved off of it. Rubbing her sore wrists, she winced at the rope burns. She glanced up at him from beneath her dark lashes, “So much for no bumps or scrapes.”

She didn’t fail to notice how a look of remorse flashed over his face. He took a step toward her, reaching out as if he wanted to check on her wrists himself and Kate took the opportunity, lifting her hand and punching him in the face. Seth groaned and Kate gasped at the pain that radiated through her entire arm but she picked up her skirts, using the momentum to run. She ran out of the bedroom and into what seemed to be the living area and then continued out the front door. Jumping down the steps, she stumbled with her heels and she cursed her foolishness before kicking them off as she kept going. Trees surrounded her on all sides and panic once again started to flare inside of her as she realized that she didn’t even know where she was. Stones dug into her feet and she was fairly certain that she was bleeding, but she couldn’t feel the pain as she forced herself to run as fast as she could. Her dress slowed her down though and she kept connecting with low branches that scraped up her bare arms before she finally stopped running.

She had nowhere to go. From what she could tell, there was no way out of the forest. Kate leaned forward, her breath wheezing out as she just took a moment to try and inhale. Another shriek tore through her when someone connected with her back, sending both of them rolling down the small hill. She was going to be very sore, she realized as she cried out when they finally stopped rolling. A stick was digging painfully into her back and the wind had been knocked out of her when Seth’s body had ended up on top of her. She tried to breathe through her nose slowly. His scent attacked her senses and her cheeks flushed, her eyes fluttering open only to meet his own.

His nose was bleeding, but other than a couple of twigs sticking out of his hair and dirt smearing on his cheeks, he looked unharmed. For some reason, Kate felt incredibly calm, even though Seth had managed to catch her. Lifting her chin slightly, she looked him in the eyes defiantly, not wanting to give into fear any longer. He had sworn that he wasn’t going to hurt her and she had to believe that he was a man of his word, especially if he was telling the truth and his brother’s life was on the line.

Kate couldn’t help but notice the way that Seth’s eyes narrowed and his frown deepened. “You’re telling the truth,” he said, startling her. His voice was low but she could sense something else there too…  _ Wonder _ , maybe. “You aren’t a princess after all, are you?”

“You believe me now?” Kate asked, her own voice unrecognizable as she panted from below him. He was really heavy and Kate felt a bit warmer when she realized that he was rather muscular as well, beneath his clothes. “Why?” she wanted to know.

A wide smile spread on Seth’s face and she didn’t fail to notice how he lifted himself up a bit so that he wouldn’t be weighing her down. “Because of all the princesses I’ve had underneath me, none of them have quite managed to knock me down like you. It’s poor manners, after all,” he said, almost mockingly. “In fact, I don’t believe it has ever happened to a Gecko before.”

Kate blinked up at him a few times, the dots beginning to connect. She had heard stories about the thieving Gecko brothers. They were infamous, after all. In court, some of the more scandalous ladies sometimes mused on what it would be like to be swept off their feet by one of the brothers who were rumored to be both handsome and seductive. Kate resisted the urge to laugh at the irony, because yes, Seth Gecko had indeed managed to knock the wind out of her, but she didn’t think that it was in the way that those other ladies had imagined.

***

Later, she sat in silence as Seth looked over her injuries. Once she had realized that she had nowhere to run, she knew that there was no point in trying to fight him. Seth had mumbled angry words under his breath the whole way back to the cabin as he pulled her along, his warm hand so big that he covered hers entirely. He hadn’t taken her into the bedroom again though, instead opting for having her sit down on one of the chairs in the small dining room before he went to pick up some supplies. Methodically, he started cleaning her wrists, wrapping them in what seemed to be a torn white shirt before he finally moved on to the cuts on her arms that she had gotten when she had tried to run from him. The hand that she had used to punch him still ached, but he had ensured her that it was only a bit bruised. Kate was certain that she had heard him mumble something about having to teach her how to throw a proper punch eventually, but she could have been mistaken.

“Put your feet in my lap,” he told her and she startled at hearing his voice so loudly again. She hesitated and he rolled his eyes, sighing at her, “You’ve cut them up, princess. I need to clean them so your injuries don’t worsen. Otherwise, you can catch some disease and die, which I’m assuming you don’t want?” His eyebrows were raised in challenge and Kate finally obliged, leaning back in the chair and lifting up one foot. Fortunately, the dress had several layers so he wouldn’t be able to see beneath her many skirts. A shaky breath escaped her lips when Seth poured some liquid over her foot. Kate gasped at the burning sensation and looked at him.

“You’ve never tasted whiskey, princess?” he asked her. She only stared at him and he shook his head. “Of course. Preacher’s daughter,” he muttered, finishing tying the bandage around her foot before picking up her other foot gingerly.

Kate didn’t like the tone in which he had referred to her, but she decided not to mention that to him. He was being careful with her, which was surprising. Out of all the stories that she had heard about the Gecko brothers, she had never heard them be described as gentle. The king’s huntsman, Frederic, had come across them once and he hadn’t had anything good to say about either brother.

But the way that Seth was now had Kate wondering. She had always been curious to know more about them but her father had continuously told her that her curiosity would eventually lead to her own downfall. Kate had stopped asking the huntsman about his adventures and instead put more time in learning how to make beautiful embroideries.

“What is going to happen to me now?” Kate questioned once Seth finished with wrapping her other foot up. The man moved his chair a bit closer to her so that he could take a look at something on her cheek.

“First of all,” he started, “I’m going to clean that cut you got yourself. It would be a shame for it to scar, with your otherwise pretty face and all.” He said it so aloofly, as if his words weren’t meant to be a compliment at all, but rather a statement of sorts. “Then, once your feet heal up, I’m going to take you back to the castle… Well, at least drop you off close enough so that you can get inside the walls of the citadel safely.”

“You’re going to let me go? Just like that?” Kate couldn’t help but ask, wincing slightly when he brushed a wet cloth over her cheek. It stung and she realized that he was telling the truth about that cut.

“You’re not the princess, so I have nothing to bargain with,” he shrugged. “I’ll just have to find another way to get my brother out of the Shadowlands.”

Shock went through Kate’s body at the mention of the land that she had assumed was only a myth. She knew that there were whispers floating around the Kingdom, of dark magic and forces brewing somewhere in a country far, far away, but she had always believed that it wasn’t real. How could true evil exist in the world? It was something that Kate couldn’t fathom.

An idea crossed her mind then and she bit her lip, thinking it over. She wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, but she could tell that Seth was upset about the fact that he wouldn’t be able to save his brother. If he brought her back to the castle, he would without a doubt be putting himself in risk of getting captured. A part of Kate didn’t want him to be imprisoned, mainly because he was actually proving to be quite civil as they conversed. She tried to think of other options and her mind kept coming up with just  _ that one  _ that she wasn’t sure that Seth would actually agree with.

She didn’t say anything about it until later, when Seth had made them both some broth from venison that he had hunted by himself and potatoes that he apparently grew in his garden, assuming that he actually was the owner of the cabin they were staying in.

“What if I come with you?” she suggested, lowering her spoon down in the bowl as she watched him shovel the food into his mouth. It was clear that he didn’t have any table manners. Unless he did, but was just taking every opportunity to make her feel disgusted and uncomfortable. “Maybe I can help you, after all,” Kate said.

Seth wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and watched her with curiosity, “How?”

“This man who has your brother captured,” Kate started slowly, hesitantly. “If he truly does live in the Shadowlands, he has probably never set foot in the Kingdom, due to the invisible wall. If you have to bring him a princess, then I might as well pretend to be one.”

Seth frowned at her, “But you’re not one.”

“I know,” she rolled her eyes at his statement. “I don’t want my best friend to get hurt, so perhaps we can fool the man and make him believe that I am princess Jessica.”

“Sweetheart,” Seth said, leaning over the table as he placed both his hands flat on the surface. “Are you willing to  _ die  _ for your friend?”

“If the Kingdom is in danger from another land that they don’t even believe exists, the two of us could perhaps stop the invasion from taking place by killing this man,” Kate said. “You get your brother back and together we save the Kingdom.”

“And you live?” Seth added. “Listen, Princess, this isn’t just some  _ man _ . We’re talking about the Shadow King. He has demons fighting for him, creatures of the night that you’ve only seen in your nightmares.”

“You know nothing about my nightmares, Mr. Gecko,” Kate told him, her tone colder now.

He watched her silently again, scratching his beard as he seemed to contemplate her idea. She knew that it was dangerous and most likely wouldn’t go as smoothly as she was assuming it would, but Kate wanted to do it. She wanted to live out one of the adventures that she had read about and if the things that she had heard about Seth Gecko were true, he would be more than capable of keeping her safe.

“I don’t even know your name,” Seth finally chuckled and despite the tenseness in his shoulders, Kate could tell that he was going to accept her offer of companionship.

“Kate Fuller,” she replied, a smile on her lips.

“Lady Kate,” Seth said, and this time she couldn’t determine whether he said her title with affection or mockery. “If we do this, you’re not allowed to back out until we’ve completed our task,” he told her, raising a finger in warning.

“I would never,” she told him, her grin only widening.

He mirrored her, his lips twitching and his eyes shining with something akin to mischief. “Brave princess,” he said and his low voice sent involuntary shivers down her spine.

***

They spent five days in the cabin together. Seth changed her bandages every evening before ordering her to sleep in the bed and Kate was almost frightened by how easy it was for her to put her trust in man who she knew was a thief and a criminal. She was aware that she didn’t have any other choice but to follow his orders though, especially if she wanted him to take her along on the adventure that they were about to set out on.

He packed them some necessities that he could carry. When she objected and tried to tell him that she had to contribute somehow and that he didn’t have to do all the work on his own, he insisted that until they get to a town where he could get her some other clothes, she was only going to have to carry that heavy dress of hers on her body.

Kate did just that and followed behind him as he led her through the woods and away from the cabin. Her feet ached slightly because she had gotten used to walking around barefoot inside the cabin, mostly so that the cuts on her soles could heal properly. She only prayed that the town that Seth had referred to wasn’t too far away.

When they arrived, night had already fallen. Kate knew that it was partially her fault because she had made them stop a few times so that she could rest. Seth had seemed annoyed each and every time, but he had made sure that she drank a lot of water to fight the heat of the sun that bore down on them. As the evening arrived, the air began to get chilly. Seth removed his hood and offered it to her without word and she pulled it over herself, the warmth of it instantly radiating into her body. It smelled of sweat and musk, of pine and leather. It smelled like  _ him _ , but Kate found that she didn’t mind it very much.

Seth got them a room at the only tavern in the small town and then took her hand as he led her through the throngs of drunk people feasting well into the late hours of the night. She tried to make herself as invisible as possible but she knew that with the fancy dress that she wore, she would without a doubt stick out. Fortunately, Seth had convinced her to leave Jessica’s tiara at the cabin, promising her that once he returned her to the castle, he was going to give it back to her. She didn’t know whether she should believe him or not, but she knew that taking it with her on their journey would certainly become a problem.

Kate followed him into the small room, instantly noting the lone bed in the middle. There wasn’t much else in there; a dresser in one corner and a screen in the other. There was a chamberpot shoved under the bed but Kate was most certainly not going to use that one while Seth was in the room with her.

Her eyes returned to the bed and she stared at it for a good while before looking at Seth again. He shrugged at her, “I had to tell the owner that we were newlyweds, otherwise he wasn’t going to give us a room for the night.”

Kate’s cheeks heated up at that but she nodded nonetheless. She didn’t want to allow herself to consider what the owner must have thought when he had finally seen her and Seth make their way to the room. A young woman marrying an older man wasn’t that unusual, but there was a ruggedness to Seth that made him look dangerous, whereas she had always been told that she looked almost childishly innocent. They were quite a pair, the two of them, though Kate didn’t dwell on it for too long because at least Seth had managed to get them a room.

“Why don’t you rest for a bit?” he suggested. Kate sat down on the bed and looked at him, worriedly. “I’m not going to leave you,” he said quickly. “I just have to see if there’s a clothing shop somewhere so I can get you some clothes for the road.”

“You are going to buy me clothes?” Kate questioned, actually surprised.

“Well,” Seth sheepishly grinned, “I’m going to  _ get  _ you clothes. If you failed to notice it, all the stores around town were closed as we passed through.”

“You are going to  _ steal _ ?” Kate hissed under her breath.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised, princess,” he snorted. “You already know I’m a thief.” With a wink he left the room and she heard him lock the door from the outside. She assumed that he didn’t want anyone getting into the room while she slept and she was actually grateful for his concern.

She took off her shoes and spread her toes a bit, closing her eyes as she fell back into the bed with another sigh. It was a bit lumpy, not like the soft bed that she had in the castle and certainly not like Seth’s bed in the cabin that they had left behind. She didn’t think she was going to fall asleep, but as soon as she thought about what her father and Scott were doing, her dreams took her away.

***

They stayed at the inn for another day so that they could rest. Well, according to Seth,  _ she  _ was the one who needed it, despite her protests that she was going to be fine. That first night when he had returned, she hadn’t even woken up when he had turned the key in the lock, only rousing from her deep sleep when she had felt the mattress dip down. Then, she had been too tired to say anything to him and the next morning, she had been embarrassed to wake up with her head on his chest. She had glanced up at him in fear that he might be aware of their inappropriate position, but had let out a sigh of relief when she had seen that he was still fast asleep. When she pulled away from him though, she saw how his lips twitched and she practically growled at him before smacking him in the head with the pillow. Seth had only chuckled at her and held the pillow against his chest as he looked at her amusedly. Kate had fought the urge to smile when she had sat down on the foot of the bed and started untangling her hair.

“If you want, I can ask them to draw you a bath,” Seth told her.

She looked at him from over her shoulder, “Are you trying to get in my good graces or telling me that I smell?”

“A bit of both, maybe,” Seth admitted, still grinning. “I could always tell the man in charge that we’d like a bigger tub so that we can share… Less work for them to draw two baths, right?”

“You are unbelievable,” Kate blushed, keeping her eyes set on the bare, gray wall in front of her as her hair finally tumbled down her back. She moaned lowly as she pressed her fingers against her scalp, reveling in the feeling of finally having gotten rid of the pins that she was certain must have punctured her skull. The mattress shifted slightly below her and she turned to see Seth moving off of the bed, heading for the door. “Where are you going?” she questioned.

“To get a bath,” he told her, not looking at her. “I’ll make sure to have them bring you something so you can wash up too. Then you can try on the clothes I got you and we can leave early tomorrow morning.”

“I didn’t think we would be staying another night,” Kate frowned.

“One more night won’t hurt anyone,” Seth told her.

“Except for maybe your brother,” she stated. Seth winced visibly then and Kate realized that she had struck a nerve.

“Just… Get ready for your bath, princess,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze again as he left the room.

A couple of hours later, they were both finally clean. Seth had ordered some food up to their room under the guise of the two of them being so wrapped up in one another that they didn’t want to leave the bed. Kate had flushed furiously when the old woman who had brought them the food had quite boldly told her that if they kept going like this, Kate would be pregnant in no time. Kate only pulled the robe that Seth had gotten her tighter around her body and said thank you before closing the door again. Seth seemed to enjoy her discomfort a bit too much but he didn’t say anything to her. Instead, they ate in silence.

Finally, Kate decided that it was time for her to try on her new clothes so she grabbed them from where Seth had placed them on the bed and walked behind the screen which was meant to hide her from his view as she got dressed. Apparently, he had gotten her a pair of black breeches and a tight corset top which enunciated the few curves that she had. The top pressed her breasts up, exposing the tops of them more than the dress that she had worn earlier did. She felt warmer than before as she looked herself in the mirror that had apparently been hiding behind the screen all along. Kate couldn’t deny that she somehow looked older too.

It hit her then, suddenly and swiftly and she swallowed back whatever emotion that threatened to take over. She tried to count the days that had passed since the ball where Seth had kidnapped her and however she counted, she kept coming up with the same answer. She was eighteen years old now and she had missed her own birthday.

Standing taller then, she decided that Seth wasn’t going to succeed in making her uncomfortable and she certainly wasn’t going to show him that she was upset about something as trivial as her birthday. She walked around the screen and looked at him where he laid on his back on the bed, his arms under his head as he took in the sight of her. His boots were on the floor and his clean shirt was untucked. Kate remembered that he had told her that the owner’s wife had offered to wash their clothes, but Kate knew that there was no way to save the dress that she had worn. Her cheeks flared slightly as his hooded eyes moved slowly over her body, his gaze settling for just a moment on her exposed chest. For just a moment, her own eyes fell on his arms and the way that his muscles stretched the material of the shirt. Kate ran a hand through her still wet curls, letting her long hair fall in the front to cover her bosom and at least give her back some sense of modesty. The action seemed to snap Seth out of his thoughts as he pushed himself up to sit in the bed. She watched him as he lifted his hands and tugged the white shirt off of his body, catching her completely off guard when her eyes moved over his newly exposed skin. She flushed once more.

“What are you doing?” she spluttered without thinking, her eyes noting the way that the muscles of his abdomen seemed to contract under her watchful gaze. She quickly turned her attention to the ink on his skin which she now saw in full. From what she could tell, it looked like flames going all the way over his arm and up to the side of his neck. Kate knew that she was staring, but how could she not? Besides, it was only fair that she returned the favor considering how he had looked at her earlier.

He threw the shirt at her though and she caught it in her hands, pulling it up to her chest. She gave him a questioning look and he only shook his head at her. “Can’t have people falling over themselves when they see you, princess,” he said as an explanation.

She shot him a glare but tugged on the shirt, once again having the scent of pine and leather take over her senses, making her almost dizzy. “What about you then?” she asked him.

“I’ve got myself a new shirt,” he replied, but Kate shook her head at him.

“I mean, why are you allowed to look at me?” she clarified, rather boldly, if she may say so herself. The challenge in her tone was evident and she noticed yet again how Seth’s eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement.

“Because unlike other men,” he started, “I know how to appreciate true beauty without touching it. I’m a gentleman, like that.” He seemed so pleased with himself for the eloquent answer that he had given her and Kate wanted to kick him in the shin for it, just so that she could make the smug smile on his face fall away.

She walked up to the side of the bed instead and leaned down over him, much like he had done back in the cabin when they had first gotten to know one another a bit as he had untied her from his bed. The tips of her wet hair brushed over his bare chest and she could tell that he was fighting with himself over something. It made her heart quicken, although she wasn’t about to show him that she knew that she was walking on thin ice. Leaning even closer, letting her lips brush against the shell of his ear, Kate lowered her voice when she finally spoke.

“You are no gentleman, Seth Gecko.”

***

Although, it turned out that he was. 

They had been making their way North toward the Shadowlands and Kate quickly realized that she had never quite been aware of how big the Kingdom actually was. She had looked at maps and read books about her country’s history plenty of times, though it wasn’t until she walked side by side with Seth through the land that she truly appreciated it’s size.

During the weeks that they had traveled together, Kate had gotten to see more than she ever would have expected to see. Whenever they entered a new town, Seth always made sure to stay as close to her as possible. She understood that he felt responsible for her, but it was strange to see him act so protective. It wasn’t something one would expect from a criminal who was always boasting about how little he cared about what happened to other people, as long as he got what he wanted in the end. 

There had been a few times when Kate had been on the brink of giving up on Seth completely, mainly because he acted like such a smug bastard. He had taken to teasing her every chance he got, telling her stories from his past, not giving her anything other than indications of the events that had occurred. Those hints were enough for Kate to understand that the stories were sinful and she hated that he always managed to achieve his goal of making her face redden in embarrassment. He provoked her when she least expected it although Kate was slowly learning how to return the favor.

Most nights, he managed to find them a place to stay, renting a room, always under the pretense that they were newlyweds. It seemed as if people were more inclined to open their arms to a traveling couple than companion thieves, and Seth used that fact to his advantage every chance he got. Whenever they did manage to convince some farmers to let them stay for a night or two, Seth charmed their hostesses into making them a home-cooked meal. Kate couldn’t exactly protest to it, thinking to herself that she and Seth were on a mission to save the Kingdom and that they needed whatever food they could get themselves.

Other nights, they didn’t find any shelter. It became more of a problem as they ventured further North because the temperatures dropped and it could get too cold to sleep out in the woods. It was on those nights that Kate’s thoughts went to her family and she wondered what was happening in the capital. Without a doubt, they must be worried for her, she knew. There was no way that she was going to just give up now when she and Seth were so close to getting to the Shadowlands though. 

Kate shuddered, wrapping her cloak tighter around herself before holding her hands out in front of the small fire that Seth had started for them. He had left her an hour ago, telling her that he had to try and find a place for them to sleep, but Kate worried that after weeks of bickering, he had finally decided to leave her behind. The last straw must have been when she had accidentally slipped up and revealed that she had missed her eighteenth birthday. There had been something on his face and just a few minutes later, he had gotten up and told her to stay put. She was afraid of what would happen to her if he didn’t return. If she fell asleep and the fire stopped burning, she was certain that she would freeze to death.

“Princess,” Seth’s hushed whisper finally came from between the trees. Kate looked up to see him walking toward her and relief instantly flooded her.

“Seth,” she said his name, scrambling to stand up as her body shook from the cold. During the day it was bearable because they were moving, but as soon as they stopped, the chill sank into their bones. Seth walked up to her and stomped out the fire, taking Kate’s hands in his, hushing the protest that effectively died on her lips. She was close enough to him to see the redness in his cheeks from the biting cold and she could only stare into his dark eyes as he rubbed her hands gently, clearly trying to warm her up. He tugged on her then, “Follow me, but stay quiet.”

She did so and they must have walked for at least half an hour until they reached a small cottage. Kate turned to Seth, a smile on her face as she squeezed his hand. His own lips twitched, “I couldn’t have you freezing without properly celebrating your birthday.”

***

The cottage had been abandoned. It was evident by the spiderwebs in the corners and the dust on the furniture. Kate was too tired to care about that when she sank down on the soft bed, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the moment. Seth walked into the bedroom shortly after her, a bottle with some liquid in his hand and two glasses. She looked at him confusedly.

“I locked up the place,” he told her. “No one is going to be able to get in here tonight, so we can both rest up for once.”

Kate nodded, having gotten used to only sleeping at the same time as Seth whenever they had a secure place to rest in. When they slept outside, they always took turns with keeping watch. Seth placed the glasses and the bottle on the nightstand before moving over to the closet, rummaging through it until he finally triumphantly pulled out a couple of blankets. He threw one toward Kate who instantly wrapped it around herself as she removed the heavy boots that he had gotten her a few weeks back. She sat up, leaned her head against the headboard and then watched him remove his own boots before settling on the bed next to her. Kate no longer blushed when it came to the two of them sharing a bed. At first, it had been strange for her, but Seth had made her a promise that he would never touch her without her permission and so far, he had kept his word. Sometimes though, she caught him looking at her. It didn’t make her uncomfortable. In fact, it made her heart race whenever he realized that she had seen him looking. He would look away, not shyly, but definitely flustered over being caught. Kate wasn’t sure why he watched her the way he did sometimes, but she did know that she did the same to him whenever he was looking over the maps he had, mumbling under his breath about his brother. During the nights that they slept without a roof over their heads, Kate always made sure to take first watch, knowing that Seth wouldn’t wake her up when it was her turn to guard. There had been too many mornings when she had woken up with his spare blanket wrapped around herself, only to glare at him when she realized that he had only used the fire to warm himself during the night.

Seth reached for the bottle again and swiftly poured them two drinks, setting the bottle down before offering her one of the glasses. She eyed him skeptically but he persistently motioned for her to take the drink, so finally she did.

“What are we toasting for?” she asked, smelling the liquid to try and identify what it might be. It sure wasn’t wine and it didn’t smell like the whiskey he had poured over her feet when he had cleaned her cuts once upon a time.

“Your birthday, princess,” he said, raising the glass, only to clink it against hers. He instantly downed the drink and she frowned at him.

“My birthday was weeks ago, Seth,” she reminded him.

“It’s never too late to celebrate,” he told her, filling his glass up again before pointing at hers. “Drink up.”

Kate hesitated before giving in, taking a sip from the drink he had given her. The beverage burned down her throat and she coughed loudly, making Seth laugh at her. She elbowed him lightly but smiled nonetheless.

An hour or so later, Kate found herself leaning against Seth’s shoulder, feeling warm but somehow both heavy and light at the same time. She had had a few more glasses of the mystery drink and then Seth had moved on to passing the bottle to her whenever he took a big gulp from it himself. Her worries seemed to have melted away and Seth was more relaxed as well. It was unusual for him to start any type of conversation in relation to his brother, but tonight, Kate sat and listened intently as he shared stories from the days that he and his brother had been the most notorious thieves in all of the lands.

“I read somewhere that one of you seduced a temple priestess once,” Kate hiccupped, giggling to herself when Seth wrapped his arm around her shoulders to let her rest more comfortably against him.

“So you’ve read stories about us now, have you, little lady?” he teased her, earning a weak slap against his chest, where her hand ended up resting. It was comforting to feel his heart beating beneath her palm.

Seth only chuckled, pressing his cheek to the top of her head for a moment and somewhere in her fuzzy brain, she caught how he had inhaled deeply, as if taking in her scent. The self-conscious part of her worried that she might smell bad, but if she did, Seth didn’t seem to mind.

“For once, it wasn’t me,” he told her then. “Richard, my brother… He fell in love with the high priestess of the Southern Land. She had been a slave to her captors and he insisted we take her with us when we robbed one of the chiefs blind.” Kate shivered when she felt Seth’s fingers starting to play with the loose strands of her hair and he must have thought that she was cold, because he reached down and brought their shared blanket up to cover her better. She burrowed into him instead, her hand on his chest curling into his shirt as she got settled.

“In the stories, they never mention how Richard married her,” Seth continued.

“He  _ married  _ her?” Kate repeated with a small gasp. No, the people who had written down the stories certainly hadn’t told that part. Kate had always thought it to be a story about the way that lust could corrupt even the biggest believers. Instead, it appeared to be a story about true love.

“He did,” Seth answered. “She is the one who sent me out to save Richard. After he got taken by the Shadow King, Kisa - That’s her name, if you were wondering, sweetheart, - found out that she was pregnant.” Seth went silent then and Kate wondered whether he had fallen asleep. His fingers moving comfortably over her arm told her otherwise. “I don’t want my niece or nephew to grow up without a father, like Richard and I did,” Seth quietly said, his eyes staring down at his lap where the bottle still rested. Kate moved slowly, taking the bottle before she leaned over him to put it on the nightstand again. She was certain that it was the drink that was making her bold, but somehow, she ended up sitting straddled over his legs. If she had been completely clear-headed, she knew that she would have been blushing. A warmth still came over her when Seth’s big hands came to rest on her hips, his thumbs brushing beneath her shirt against the hot skin of her waist as he looked up at her. He looked resolved and perhaps a bit frightened. She wondered whether it was because he couldn’t predict what she was about to do or if the drinks that he had had were getting to his head enough for her to be able to catch him off guard.

There was an urge inside of her to lean into him and close the distance between them once and for all, if only so that she could see if kissing him would be like it was in her dreams. She held back though because it wouldn’t be fair. In her heart, Kate knew there was at least a slim chance that Seth might want her too, but she couldn’t risk making a fool out of herself now. Deciding to not give in tonight, Kate pressed her hand to Seth’s cheek. Immediately, her companion closed his eyes, letting out a ragged breath as his own hand raised to cover hers, holding it more firmly against him. It was almost as if he was making sure that the touch was real.

“You are a good man, Seth,” she said, her voice not wavering this time.

Seth’s eyes opened and connected with hers. “You’re too good for me, Kate,” he said, sounding defeated and tired. Her heart quickened because of the way that he had said her name. It was the first time he has said it without it sounding like a mockery of her title and he hadn’t referred to her by any of the many nicknames that he had taken to calling her during their weeks together.  She raised her other hand and gently ran her fingers over his eyebrow. Seth sat up straighter, startling her when he leaned forward, pressing his face into the side of her neck, breathing deeply as his arms circled her small waist. Kate’s arms went around him as well, her fingers running comfortingly through his hair. She pressed her eyes shut tightly and buried her own nose into him, taking in the scent of leather and pine. In her heart, she knew it then, that despite him being a thief and a criminal, he might just be too good for her too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything always gets worse before it gets better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all the lovely comments you left on the first part. Here's the conclusion to this monster of a two-shot. I hope you enjoy it, but remember, in every fairytale, there's a challenge before the happy end (The VERY happy end! *wink wink*). :) xx

## Part II

They stood next to one another, looking over the cold and barren soil of the Shadowlands. A chill passed through Kate’s body and she squinted trying to see past the fog that covered the wasteland. There were mountains in the distance and she was certain there would be creatures of the dark lurking once night fell fully.

“We should wait to pass through until morning,” Kate said, looking at Seth. “It will be safer if we have daylight on our side.”

Seth had his head turned downward though and Kate could see that there was something on his mind. She took a step toward him, reaching out to touch his arm but he visibly flinched and turned away from her. Kate frowned, but in the pit of her stomach, something felt wrong.

“You should go back,” he said and she stopped short.

For a good while, she could only stare at him, not understanding what it was that he was trying to say to her. What could he possibly mean? Was he really telling her to go back? After _everything?_

Kate shook her head, standing in front of him. She tried to get him to look at her but he kept his eyes firmly on the ground.

“What?”

She hated how fragile her voice sounded; how incredibly wounded it was, showing the weakness that he had spent weeks teaching her how to hide. During all their time together, he had been giving her lessons on how to fight and how to be stronger, only to now tell her to return home. She didn’t understand any of it.

“I said go back,” Seth spat, this time sounding both annoyed and angry with her. “Go back to your fucking castle and go back to your fucking perfect family!”

There had been times when Kate had thought about going back, but now, when she was being given the opportunity to do so, she realized that she didn’t want to leave. Seth had not been keeping her with him against her will. Since he had found out that she wasn’t actually the real princess, he had offered to take her back numerous times. There had been struggles on the road to the Shadowlands that they had overcome together. Everything from lying and pretending to be married, to Seth getting nearly killing a man who tried to put his hands on Kate on late night in a tavern. All the times that Kate had sung him softly back to sleep when he had woken from nightmares that they never spoke of and all the times that he had been the silent support for her when she had thought of her dead mother and the rest of her family.

“No,” Kate finally said, stepping toward him. The horse that they had stolen a couple of towns back neighed from where it stood next to Seth, who was holding its reins. It seemed as if the animal could sense the tenseness between the two of them.

“Go back because I don’t want you with me anymore,” Seth continued to press angrily. He looked at her but she could tell that he wasn’t _really_ seeing her.

“Your brother-” she started, but Seth let out a dry laugh.

“Is probably dead, princess,” he finished for her. “And if he isn’t, I’ll get him out on my own, like I’ve always done.”

“You don’t have to be alone anymore, Seth,” Kate insisted. “I’m here and I’m not going to leave you!” She let the sword she carried with her clatter to the frozen ground, stepping up to the man as she reached up to cup both of his cheeks. This time, when he looked at her, she knew that he was seeing again. “I could never leave you,” she breathed out, meeting the darkness in his eyes, trying to make him see the truth in hers. No matter what happened, she didn’t want the two of them to go separate ways. They had spent weeks - _months_ even - together. He had become a part of her in a way that she never would have expected. It wasn’t about her being drawn to him like it might have been in the beginning, it was something more.

She stroked his cheeks gently, but Seth grabbed her hands and pushed them away, “You were always just a means to an end, little lady. I don’t fucking _want_ you in my life, so go back to being the privileged brat that you’ve always been because that’s never going to change.”

“You know about my family and where I come from,” Kate reminded him, anger and hurt welling inside of her yet again. “I’ve _told_ you that the privilege I have came from the king’s pity.”

“Too bad he never showed anyone else pity though, isn’t it?” Seth countered. His eyes bore down angrily into hers as he stepped into her space. “What do you think will happen after we save the Kingdom, huh? Do you think that they’ll pardon me for my sins? Tell me and my brother that all is forgiven and forgotten because some fucking preacher’s daughter has gotten it in her goddamn head that our souls can be redeemed?” he scoffed. “It’s not going to happen, sweetheart. Because I don’t fucking have a soul.”

Kate could feel tears burning in her eyes, but she refused to look away. He had never been this cruel to her and she knew that he was just saying it because he wanted to push her away. She could _feel it_ inside of her, how difficult it was for him to say those thing; she could see it in his eyes how much he was instantly wishing that he could take the words back.

But she knew that he wouldn’t.

Seth Gecko was a stubborn man, she had learned, and if he wanted to keep her away from danger, he was going to do it no matter how much it might hurt him in return.

“You are _lying_ ,” Kate said, feeling her cheeks dampen with the tears that fell slowly. “I know you, Seth Gecko and I can tell when you’re lying because _I know you_ .” Once again, she touched his cheek and this time, in what must have been a moment of weakness, Seth allowed his eyes to fall shut. There was a tear in the corner of his eye and Kate gently brushed it away with her thumb. His lashes were dark and long and he was so _beautiful_ that it hurt her in her heart to see him like this, desperate to push her away.

A wounded sound tore from his throat when he pulled away from her and walked away, mounting the black horse. Kate couldn’t help the sob that fell from her lips and shook her whole body as he avoided her gaze and rode off into the Shadowlands. She stared after him, her cries bringing her to her knees, fingernails digging into the cold ground.

Then, he circled back slowly, looking angry even with himself as he came to a stop in front of her. She knew it would be too good to hope that he had come to his senses and decided that he wanted her with him to the end. Instead of saying anything at all, he dropped a pouch of coins down in front of her and held out the reins to the horse toward her. She took them, not hesitating even as her fingers brushed against him. Seth winced and turned away from her, speaking coldly before walking away again.

“I’m not some prince who is going to save you, Kate. There are no happily ever afters.”

***

Kate was a fool, but only for a day.

She had started riding back toward the nearest village, deciding that she was going to give Seth what he wanted and leave him alone. The problem though, was that she had changed so much during her time with him that she knew that she was never going to be the innocent and naive girl that she had once been. After a sleepless night on the side of the road, she woke up early the next morning, got on the horse again and rode back.

Kate had said that she wasn’t going to leave him and she was intending to keep her word. There were plenty of emotions coursing through her, everything from anger to fear, but most of all something else that she had been denying to herself since the night that they had belatedly celebrated her birthday together.

It was a feeling solely reserved for Seth.

She rode through the mountain pass, remembering the road that she had seen marked out on one of Seth’s many maps one night when she had sneaked a peek at them. However, it wasn’t as if she needed her memories of the map because she could literally feel the air changing around her. The cold was no longer only bitter, but something else laid in it too and she knew that it was making the horse she rode nervous as well. Time seemed to pass strangely in the Shadowlands. The sun never fully rose, so there was always a darkness lingering, making it all seem more ominous, somehow.

Especially the Shadow King’s castle.

Kate was surprised by how easily she had found it and how she hadn’t come across a single one of those dark creatures that Seth had told her about. Somehow, it all looked abandoned, but Kate knew that it couldn’t be. She got of the horse and mumbled some comforting words to the animal, giving him one of the apples that she had saved in her pack. The redness of it had reminded her of her brother and the way he always stole the best ones from the royal garden. Seth had asked her why she was smiling so brightly when she had picked it from a tree, but she had only shrugged and told him that she like apples.

The thought of Seth made her chest ache and she looked up toward the castle again, wondering whether he had made it there. She wasn’t sure if she should hope that he had, because whatever was inside those walls couldn’t be good.

Especially not since she could feel it slowly drawing her in.

***

Kate found a hidden passage and made her way into the black castle. The silver sword was in her hands and she kept a firm grip on it as she walked down narrow hallways, checking twice around every corner before turning it. Something was calling for her; something _evil._

She thought about Seth again. She had found that no matter how hard she tried not to, he always found his way back into her mind. His voice was inside her head, pushing past the whispers of darkness that were trying to lure her to them.

Kate tensed at the sound of chains being dragged across the marble floor. She looked up to see shadows on the wall, approaching slowly. Hurrying inside a room, Kate hid quietly as the guards passed. She kept her hand over her mouth so that they wouldn’t hear her.

Perhaps she should have just left, like Seth had told her to. If she had gone back, she could have been safe. Instead, Kate had walked right into danger, all so that she could-

_What?_

Was she doing it to save the Kingdom or because she couldn’t leave Seth behind?

“He got under your skin, didn’t he?”

Kate swirled around, sword up and ready to attack whatever it was that lurked in the shadows. She frowned, seeing that the room was empty. The voice had been low and chilling. Kate slowly started to lower her sword when she heard it again.

“Your weapon will not do you any good here, little girl.”

Kate followed the sound, walking deeper into the room. A small light flickered at the end of it and she finally set eyes on a mirror. Frowning, she stepped closer.

“Who are you?” she whispered, coming to stand in front of it, her eyes widening as she finally saw it.

It was _her_ , and yet it wasn’t.

Her hair was a fiery red, eyes circled with kohl, dark like everything about the creature that was staring back at her.

“How could you allow that, lady Kate?”  the _thing_ said, her head tilting to the side, the corner of her mouth twitching lightly. Kate started to turn away from it, knowing enough to see that it would do her no good to stay inside this cursed room or to listen to anything that the damned creature said to her. “How could you allow a common thief to steal your heart?”

“He didn’t steal anything from me,” Kate snapped, responding without intending to. She turned back to face the mirror.

“But, _princess_ ,” the shadow said, “you know that it is true, do you not?” There was cruelty there unlike anything that Kate had ever seen. When it had used the term that Seth always referred to her by, a dread started to grow inside of Kate. “Did you really believe that he could love you?” the creature asked next. “Do you not remember that he only took you from that castle because he wanted to use you to get his brother back? _You were always just a means to an end_.”

Through the creature’s mouth, Seth’s voice had come. Kate breathed in shakily and the creature seemed satisfied with what it had accomplished.

“Even if you _do_ manage to save him,” it said, “he will never choose you. There’s too much darkness inside of him. He’s done too many unforgivable things.”

“I forgive him,” Kate said, stepping toward the mirror. “I forgive him for _everything_ that he’s done!”

The shadow smirked, eyes blazing red, “Even for making you fall in love with him only for him to not love you back?”

Kate’s anger got the better of her and she raised the sword, letting out a scream of frustration as she thrust it forward, piercing the mirror. The surface cracked and the pieces shattered, sending Kate flying backwards with the power that it expelled. Her back connected with the floor, the air leaving her lungs as she covered her face with her arms, feeling shards of the mirror cutting into her skin.

Silence followed, at least for a short while. Then the doors opened and Kate was hauled up by two creatures with scaly skin, their long nails digging into her arms as they dragged her through the hallways. She tried to fight them off, but their grip was too strong and she was still a little dizzy.

She was led into a great hall and Kate focused on the throne in the distance where a man sat, a sinister grin on his face as he was thrown down in front of him, kneeling.

“Welcome to my home, lady Kate,” Brasa said.

***

Some time passed and Kate remained silent, trying to make sense of everything. Lord Brasa was the Shadow King, clearly, but what did he want with Seth’s brother? Deep down, Kate knew that it was all meant to be pieced together somehow, but she couldn’t for anything seem to solve the puzzle. She had the pieces, although the connection was missing.

One of the guards stepped closer with a rope, clearly intending to tie her up but Brasa held his hand up. “No need for that,” he said, looking at Kate. “Lady Kate has been raised well. She knows how to behave, especially in front of a king.”

“You are no king,” she spat at him through gritted teeth, shaking her head. “How could you do this?”

“And pray tell, what exactly is _this_?” Brasa inquired. Kate was silent and the man smirked at her. “You don’t even know what this is about, do you?”

“You want the Kingdom for yourself,” Kate said.

“I want the _world_ ,” Brasa corrected, his eyes flashing black as he stared her down. “I can’t do anything now though. Not while my subjects are tied to this land only.”

“The barrier,” Kate realized. “You want to break it down.”

Brasa grinned, “Both beautiful and bright, I see.”

Kate frowned again. How was he supposed to bring down the magical barrier that stopped the Shadows from coming into the realm of the humans?

“Sacrifice, lady Kate,” he said, almost as if he had read her mind. Perhaps he had. After all, this was his land and from the few stories that Kate had read, it was also the only land where magic supposedly still existed. “It is only the first step,” he said, reaching out to touch her. Kate took a step away from him but she felt the heads of the guard’s spear digging into her back, making her stop.

The doors to the hall opened and Kate turned around at the sound of Seth’s voice.

“Let go of me you fucking bastards,” he snapped, struggling against the creatures who were dragging him and someone else into the throne room. The other man seemed to be off far worse than Seth, who only had a few cuts and bruises on his face. Kate had to assume that it was his brother who was thrown carelessly to the floor. The unconscious man let out a small moan and Seth managed to get a punch in on one of the creatures. “Don’t fucking touch him you freaks,” he yelled, but the guards quickly tied him up and threw him to the floor next to his brother.

“Seth,” Kate spoke, his name escaping her mouth without her being able to help it. He looked up furiously, his dark eyes seeking out hers and instantly, they widened as the shock settled.

“Kate?”

She nearly shuddered at the way that he said her name. He sounded lost, but maybe a little hopeful too. Then he seemed to realize what it meant that she was there and his eyes turned to Brasa, flaring angrily.

“You wanted a fucking princess,” he said. “She’s _not_. Let her go.”

“Destiny has a strange way of making itself play out, Mr. Gecko,” Brasa said, circling around Kate. “In exchange for your brother’s life, you were meant to bring me a princess, yes. Those were my orders because I thought that she might have been _pure_ , like most princess’ are,” he said. “Imagine my surprise when I laid eyes on her and saw her tainted soul. Lust and greed is all that that girl is about,” Brasa said, sounding both angry and disappointed. “I need a pure soul to break through the wall.”

He stopped circling Kate and instead stood beside her. Kate couldn’t tear her eyes off of Seth who was alternating from looking at her, almost desperately, to glaring at Brasa. “Then, at the ball, I changed my instructions,” Brasa continued. “‘Take the first girl you see wearing a crown. She’ll be the one I need’. Do you not recall, Mr. Gecko?” A sinister smile spread across his face once more. “I knew it the moment I saw you, lady Kate. Outside of the Shadowlands I might not have the power I have here, but I didn’t need it to see that you are both kind and pure… Exactly what I need to let all my Shadows into the Kingdom.” Around his neck, an amulet glowed at his words.

Kate flinched away from Brasa as he removed his gloves, revealing a charred hand with thick black veins. He reached for her cheek.

“Don’t touch her!” Seth yelled, the anger clearer now more than ever.

Brasa stopped and looked at the man. Kate’s heart was pounding inside her chest as she closed her eyes, not wanting to see anything anymore.

“You fell for her, didn’t you,” Brasa realized. In that moment, his voice sounded exactly like the Shadow in the mirror that Kate had destroyed. “The _preacher’s daughter_ ,” Brasa laughed before looking at Kate again. “Did you hear that? Seth Gecko, the man who loves no one but himself, fell for _you_. Now, if that isn’t a sign that you are what I’ve been waiting for, I don’t know what is.” He raised his charred hand and grabbed her by the throat.

“Please, don’t,” Kate said, her voice choked. Seth was screaming, pleading with the man to let her go.

“Why did you come here willingly?” Brasa questioned, this time sounding curious as he pulled her closer to himself. “Mr. Gecko let you go, didn’t he? He rejected you and you still came back. What are you here for?”

His hand moved over her cheek instead, caressing it with his rough and burned skin. Kate breathed in harshly and looked past him, into Seth’s eyes as she took another deep breath. Brasa’s fingers trailed over her chest, pulling her hair away from her shoulders as he came to stand behind her.

“Redemption,” she whispered, a tear falling from her cheek.

“In whose eyes?” Brasa questioned. “Your _God’s_? You do know that faith won’t help you now.”

“No,” Kate forced out. “In the eyes of the people that I love.” Her gaze was steady on Seth and she watched as all the rage and fight inside of him crumbled. He sunk down slowly, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something to her. She could see that his cheeks were wet and that he knew what she was telling him. Her lips twitched into a smile, despite her tears.

A hiss escaped from her when Brasa pressed his nose against her cheek, inhaling her scent. Seth seemed to wake up from his daze at that and once more began struggling against his bonds. The look in his eyes was almost crazed, like it had been that night in the tavern when he had protected her honor from a bandit.

“I apologize, lady Kate,” he said, fingers brushing over her skin as his hands came to rest on her hips, brushing under the blouse she wore. “No matter what land I’m in, I am still only a man.”

Kate balled her hands up in fists as Brasa began pushing her down to kneel. Her skin felt as if it was crawling, but something inside of her mind ticked at his words and she realized that it was true. No matter if he had powers, he was still just a man, despite whatever realm he was in.

The guards had taken her sword, but they hadn’t searched her. She was lady Kate, supposedly the purest one of them all. Why would they need to check her for any other weapons when _clearly_ she had had no education in sword fighting?

 

_“You should hold on to this,” Seth said, handing her a small knife. “It was made in the Shadowlands, so it’s one of the few weapons that can actually hurt one of the Shadows.”_

_Kate looked at him. She traced the engraved eye on the knife, “Where did you get it?”_

_“Richard has always had an eye for antiquities.”_

 

Brasa’s fingers moved over her slowly, starting to pull her shirt up and off of her. Kate pursed her lips, her own fingers moving into her boots where the dagger was hidden. She leaned forward a bit, lowering her head.

“Kate, _no!_ ” Seth yelled and she could feel the pain in his voice course right through her. Brasa laughed darkly, his fingers moving to find the strings of her corset and Kate finally pushed herself up and away from him. She twisted around as Brasa fell backwards in surprise and she ran at him, the black blade of the dagger glimmering in the light.

The blade pierced Brasa’s heart and Kate twisted the knife before pulling it out and stabbing him again, thick blood splattering over face. The man howled out in pain, eyes burning red as he raised his charred hand toward her in a swift move. Kate choked when she felt his hand on her shoulder, trying to push her back. It burned into her skin and around her, she heard the guards screeching, as if in pain themselves. The wind had picked up sending Kate’s brown locks flying as she stared down into Brasa’s dark eyes.

She dug the dagger deeper into his heart, ignoring her own pain as she refused to look away. “And I’m just a thieving princess,” she said, her eyes zeroing in on the amulet around Brasa’s neck. The more she twisted the knife, the more it’s colors changed. She reached for it and tore the chain right off the monster’s throat, standing up as she pulled the dagger with her. The chain dangled from her hand and she turned in time to see more Shadows coming toward her, eyes red. She dropped the amulet to the ground and stepped on it. She heard the crack and looked up, only to see some of the monsters turn to dust. Once more, she stomped on it, this time with all the strength that she had left in her body, the heel of her boot crushing the black stone into dust.

Brasa screamed and Kate looked at him. His body looked like burning ember, his dark eyes met hers again. He choked on his own blood before his body started shaking, slowly dissolving into ashes.

Everything was suspended for a moment. The darkness that she had felt when she had stepped into the castle no longer seemed to be there. She turned and looked at Seth. The bonds around his wrists seemed to have melted away, right along with Brasa. The other creatures were gone and sunlight flittered through the windows, lighting up the hall. Everything felt warmer.

Kate reached for her shoulder, wincing when she felt the burn that Brasa had left behind there. She looked at the skin and it looked like it was blistering, but she was certain that once she returned to the Kingdom, someone could help her remedy it. Even if there was no way to save her skin from scarring, the mark would without a doubt serve as a reminder of everything that had happened.

“Kate,” Seth said her name, bringing her back out of her thoughts. He was looking at her in awe as he held his brother in his arms. Richard seemed to be rousing slowly.

Kate swallowed back tears as she walked up to him, letting the dagger still in her hands clatter to the floor as she kneeled next to him. She reached up and held his cheek, brushing away one of his tears.

“What are you doing here?” Seth asked as he took in a ragged breath.

She gave him a weak smile, “I could never leave you.”

***

The moment that Kate and the Gecko brothers set foot into the Kingdom again, the kingsguard apprehended Seth and Richard.

“No! Let them go!” Kate screamed.

“You are safe now, lady Kate,” one of the knights said. She remembered that she had danced with him once on a ball. “The men who took you will both be punished accordingly.”

Seth was throwing punches and taking down any knight who came too close to him, but Richard was still weak after having been a prisoner of Brasa’s for so long.

“They are not the men who took me,” Kate protested. “They are the men who saved me!”

“Lady Kate.”

She turned around and stopped glaring at the knight. Her eyes met with the eyes of the king and she immediately froze. The girl she had been before screamed at her to bow her head and curtsey, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Instead, she just stared at the man who held all the power in the Kingdom and didn’t do anything.

“These two brothers are wanted men,” the king said, ignoring the fact that she hadn’t bowed down to him. He must assume that she had been terrorized and mistreated, which she had been, but not by the Geckos. “We have witnesses who saw you with Seth Gecko, people who can confirm that he held you against your will an abducted you under the pretense that the two of you were married,” the older man said.

“It was not like that at all, your highness,” Kate objected. “Mr. Gecko and his brother saved my life and they saved the Kingdom too!” She looked over at Seth, who had finally stopped struggling against the guards. “Please, your majesty. You have to let them both go. If it weren’t for them, our Kingdom would be in peril at the hands of the evil lord Brasa and his Shadows,” Kate said.

The king stared at her, his eyes narrowing. “Lord Brasa?” he questioned and Kate nodded. “He is the one behind your kidnapping?”

“Seth was only protecting me, I swear,” Kate said, trying to sound as innocent as possible. “Brasa did this to me,” she added, lowering her shirt to show the man the burn on her skin. His eyes widened and Kate quickly covered up again. “Seth and Richard saved me and slayed the monster with Richard’s shadow knife.”

The king looked at the men holding Richard, nodding at them. They immediately searched the man and pulled out the dagger, holding it up to the king, who inspected it. There was still blood on it and Kate wasn’t sure that he would believe her just because she said that it was the truth.

“We shall take you all back to the castle,” the king said. “I’ll make my decision after I have spoken to my council.”

***

It was her father who managed to convince the king to spare both brothers. Kate was sure of it, despite not being able to know for certain. She had been looked over by the healers and they had given her a remedy for her mark, but there was only so much that they could do. She would always carry silvery lines on her skin in the shape of a skeleton’s hand, if their assumptions were correct. Kate didn’t dwell on it, ignoring the whispers of how people believed her to have been tainted by the darkness.

She was no longer the girl that she had been, yes, but tained she was not.

The door to her room opened slowly and Kate didn’t need to turn around to know that it was Seth. She could feel his presence, as if he was a part of her; as if a part of him was inside of her.

The king had not only spared the brothers. He had also pardoned them for all their crimes, telling them that only God would be judging them in their afterlife for the sins that they committed from that day on. It was because of those words that Kate suspected her father’s hand in the decision.

“Richard and I are leaving tomorrow morning,” Seth said, not bothering with pleasantries.

She continued to brush her hair silently, not meeting his reflection in the mirror. There was no way that she could claim to be surprised. After all, the king had also granted them free passage to the Freeland, where Richard’s wife Kisa waited for them both.

“I won’t ask you to come with me,” Seth told her and she finally looked up at him.

“You knew, didn’t you?” she asked instead. “I have been trying to make sense of what happened and that is the only thing that fits into it all.” She watched confusion spread on his face and she stood up, lifting her skirts of the dress she had been forced to wear now that she was back at the castle. “You knew about Brasa wanting me. You knew that I wasn’t a princess but you took me anyway,” she clarified.

“I had my suspicions,” Seth admitted, sounding ashamed of himself. He didn’t look away from her though. “I was hellbent on exchanging you for my brother’s life, but I made a mistake.” She watched him step closer to her, but she remained still.

“And what was that, Mr. Gecko?” she questioned, quirking an eyebrow at him curiously.

“It was that night,” he said, “when we celebrated your birthday in that abandoned cottage, remember?”

How could she not? They had fallen asleep in one another’s arms, holding on tight until morning and she had never felt more at home than she had then.

“When I woke up… _Holding you_ ,” he said, clearing his throat. “I realized that I would do anything to keep you safe.”

“Anything?” Kate wondered, her lips parting as she looked at his lips briefly.

“Anything,” Seth confirmed. “Slay dragons, climb towers,” he chuckled, but it was an empty laugh, “even leave you behind. As long as it means that you’re safe, I’ll do it.”

“Is that what you are doing now?” Kate asked him, meeting his warm eyes once more.

Seth leaned down, his forehead fell against her shoulder that was bandaged up and healing. She felt his hands on her waist and she waited for him to speak.

“I’m not a fucking bastard, Kate,” he reminded her.

She shut her eyes tightly and lifted her arms so that she could wrap them around him. His lips brushed against the side of her neck and she tightened her grip. “I know,” she said, embracing him now because she knew that by the end of tomorrow, she would never see him again.

***

Seth and Richard left and Kate refused to leave her room, always blaming it on her tiredness. A couple of days passed and Jessica insisted that they throw a ball in honor of Kate’s return and the saving of the Kingdom. Kate had tried to point out that no one had even known about the dangers they would be facing, but Jessica remained persistent. Usually, when Jessica set her mind on something, everyone knew that there was no point in arguing.

The servants were running around the castle, preparing for the ball that would be taking place once night fell and Kate could hear them arguing with one another over where to put the flowers and the decorations from her room.

The door opened as Kate was trying to decide on what dress to put on. She turned around and looked at her father, smiling at him weakly. He sighed to himself and sat down on her bed, patting the place next to him. She took a seat and looked at him expectantly because she could tell that something was weighing on his mind.

“Are you ever going to tell me what really happened when you were taken?” he asked. Kate sighed because she wasn’t surprised at all. This was the first time she and her father were truly alone and she knew that Jacob Fuller was no fool. He had probably seen right through her when she had told him the story of how the Gecko brothers had saved her life.

“I was the one who killed Brasa,” she admitted. “That doesn’t mean that everything else I said about the brothers was untrue.”

“I do not doubt that,” Jacob said thoughtfully. “I was not referring to Brasa though,” he told her. “I was asking about Mr. Gecko.”

Kate looked down at her hands that rested in her lap, wringing them together nervously as she chewed on her bottom lip. “I fell in love with him,” she finally answered, admitting the truth to herself for the first time, out loud. She had always implied it when she had spoken of it, but after everything that had happened, she saw no point in trying to deny it any more. “It doesn’t matter now,” she continued, shaking her head. “He’s gone”

Jacob sighed again, almost exasperatedly, “Why did the Lord give me children who love people they are not supposed to love?” Kate looked up at him and he shrugged, “Your brother is not very discreet with his affections toward the princess… To be honest, she is not subtle about returning the feelings either.”

Kate laughed, hating that tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she realized that her father must have known all along about Scott and Jessica. She watched him reach into his back pocket, offering her something. Holding out her hands, she looked down at the tiara that her father placed in them. It was the same tiara that she had left behind at Seth’s cabin when they had first ventured out together.

She stared at her father, unblinkingly, confused. He smiled, “Everything will be all right, Katie-cakes.”

***

Kate stood behind the screen, getting dressed for the ball. It had taken her a while to pull the dress on because she was feeling uncomfortable in it now after months of wearing nothing but pants and shirts. She knew that that attire would never be accepted at court, however, and despite the handmaiden’s offers to help her put the dress on, she had refused her. Kate could handle herself now and she didn’t need anyone to help her put on a dress. Besides, she knew that most of the servants wanted to catch a glimpse of the mark on her skin. She wasn’t about to let herself become the theme of their gossiping.

As she prepared herself, her eyes kept drifting to the tiara that her father had returned to her. He had gotten up and left her alone before she had had the chance to ask him how he had obtained it, but she had a feeling that the conversation wasn’t completely over.

The door to her room opened again and Kate wondered whether her father had returned to finish their talk. She wasn’t sure why he would leave and then return so soon, but maybe it wasn’t him at all? It could be Jessica who had come to check that she was actually getting ready and not running away or something.

Then she felt it; felt _him._

There was no mistaking his familiar scent of pine and leather, nor the perfectly sculpted body that pressed against her back. She recognized the slight scratch of his beard against the soft skin of her neck, and she smiled when she felt his nose graze her skin as he took a deep breath before his lips connected with her pulsepoint.

“What are you doing here?” she gasped, his arms wrapping around her so that he could pull her tighter against him. Kate giggled when his teeth scraped gently against her throat, tickling her.

“I might not be a fucking bastard, but I am a good-for-nothing thief,” Seth told her. Her hands fell over his that held the material of her dress, clutching it between his fingers. “I have decided to revert back to my old ways, pardoned or not.”

“Sneaking up on unsuspecting women?” Kate couldn’t help but tease. She turned in his arms and looked at him.

“Kidnapping princesses,” Seth corrected her as he stalked toward her, walking her backwards. “Stealing their hearts and making them come with me to lands of happily ever after.” There was hope in his eyes when she smiled. He seemed nervous and worried too, as if he was afraid that she would reject him.

“You don’t have to steal my heart, Seth Gecko,” Kate told him, shaking her head. “I gave it to you the moment I realized how much I love you.”

It was as if all the fear was expelled from his body at once. His shoulders sagged and he closed the distance between them, pressing her gently against the wall as his rough hands covered her cheeks and he pressed his impossibly soft lips against hers.

He waited as she wrote a letter to her father and brother, telling them that she would be safe. She smiled every time he pressed his lips against her skin and squirmed away from his touch whenever his beard tickled her. Seth didn’t seem capable to keep his hands away from her now that she was finally his. Kate couldn’t help the laughter that escaped her as he later held her hand, leading her hurriedly through the hallways, as if he was actually sneaking her out. He was forced to kiss her to make her keep quiet when some guards passed, but Kate couldn’t complain.

Finally, she intertwined their fingers and let him lead her out into the night.

***

Waking up in the castle had always been easy. Everyone who lived there had a schedule to follow and everyone knew what was expected of them in the mornings. Kate’s first task of every day was to get herself cleaned up and dressed, prepared for a day of mindless conversations about who did this and who did that. She had been doing it for so long that she had forgotten what it had been like when she was a child and her mother had still been alive. That had been a time when her and her brother had been allowed to sleep in once a week and not bother with the many chores that they had around their small house in the city. Those mornings that had been free of obligation had been good memories for Kate, although as time went on, they began fading more and more, being replaced by the strict knock of the servants who were up and about, preparing her bath for her before dawn had even broken.

Rousing to sunlight warming her face was just was wonderful as her vague memory of it was. Kate opened her eyes slowly, arching her back as she stretched out on the soft bed. She gave herself a moment to look out the large window, bigger than anything that she had ever seen before and she smiled at the sight of the blue sky, stretching out for miles and miles again over the ocean. Ever so lightly, she turned her head to the side and smiled at the sight of Seth still asleep with his hair tousled. He looked so much younger in the mornings; so much more carefree and relaxed. Her eyes trailed over his frame, so big compared to hers. He was laying on his stomach, face turned in her direction and his hand lazily thrown over her stomach. His lips were parted, his breathing slow and steady. Kate’s fingers gently trailed over the flames on his skin, her cheeks turning rosy when she saw the scratch marks she had left on him last night.

Memories flooded her senses and she was instantly made aware of the slight ache between her legs when she shifted. It wasn’t a bad feeling though, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes as she remembered the way that Seth had explored her body with his mouth. It had been borderline sinful and she had loved every moment of it.

The day before, around sunset, they had walked down the sandy beach in the Freeland, hand in hand. It was a sight that Kate had never in her life expected that she would get to experience but it had happened and it wasn’t until yesterday that it had hit her just how much she had wanted it.

Roughly a month ago she had made passage into the Freeland with Seth and Richard. Making their way across the sea had taken them two weeks and during that time, Seth had been a constant on her side. She didn’t mind though, understanding the need to be close, but what she didn’t understand was how he had managed to keep his hands off of her in the sense of making her his completely. After last night, when they had finally crossed all lines for the first time, she wasn’t sure that she was going to be able to resist him at all.

Once more, Kate flushed, absentmindedly moving a bit closer to Seth who mumbled her name and tightened his grip on her. Kate looked at him for another moment before her thoughts took her back to when they had finally reached the harbor. By then, Kate had spent enough time with Seth’s brother to know that he was different. While Seth was fine with holding her hand or offering her his arm when they walked side by side, he wasn’t very big on grand gestures. So when Richie had run past them both as they made it to the land that belonged to the brothers, yelling his wife’s name, Kate hadn’t been as startled as she should have been. Kisa was a beautiful woman and Richie had fallen to his knees in front of her, his arms circling her middle as he pressed his lips to her protruding belly. The sight of the two of them had brought tears to her eyes and she had looked at Seth, who had been watching the scene with a small smile on his lips. She recalled the time that he had confessed to her the reason that he wanted to save his brother and her heart quickened at the memory of how much she had loved him then, and how much she still loved him now.

She wanted a future with Seth, she had no doubt about it, but as they had been getting settled in his house, Kate couldn’t help but question why he hadn’t pressed to take things further with her. He wasn’t shy about kissing her breathless whenever he got her alone, although whenever things between them would heat up more, he pulled away from her. Five days ago, he had told her to stay with Richie and Kisa while he traveled to the closest town. She had been confused by his behavior, especially since he had barely even kissed her goodbye. He had returned three days later, presenting her with a small leather pouch after he had kissed her with such passion that she had almost forgotten her own name.

“What is this for?” she had smiled against his lips.

“I missed you,” Seth had breathed against her. “Open it.”

Kate had shaken her head at him, opened the pouch and turned its content over, into her palm. Her breath had caught in her throat at the sight of the sparkling piece of jewelry and she had looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Seth,” she had said his name slowly, unsure but without wording a question.

He had lifted the ring from her palm, looked at it for a moment as if debating with himself on what to say. “I’ve done so many bad things in my life, Kate,” he had told her and suddenly she had gotten aware of the fact that they were alone. Kisa and Richie had clearly known what was about to happen and they had stepped outside, giving them a moment.

“So many bad things and I’ll be the first to admit that,” Seth had said, still looking at the ring between his fingers. He had looked up at her then, his eyes meeting hers. “But with _you_ … I want to do things right,” he had explained.

And then it had all made sense. Why he didn’t want to take things further between the two of them, why he insisted on stopping them when Kate felt more than ready to give in and be his.

He wanted to do things right.

Kate smiled now as she remembered how she had thrown herself into Seth’s arms before he had even gotten the question out. Two days later, yesterday, they had finally done it. On the beach, at sunset, she had put on a thin white dress that Kisa had gifted her with. The material had been slightly sheer, but Kisa made some quick adjustment to the way it was draped over Kate’s body and in the end, her modesty was as covered as it would be. They didn’t bother with shoes because the sand would just get everywhere, but Richie had made Kate a crown of flowers and she had felt as beautiful as Seth had told her that she was when they finally stood hand in hand in front of the priest that Seth had gotten them when he had been getting her the ring.

She had sworn to love him forever, until the end of their days and beyond, in the afterlife. Seth hadn’t let go of her hands throughout the small ceremony, looking straight into her eyes as he told her that he loved her for the first time out loud.

After that, they had returned to their house and he had been so gentle with her that she had shed a few tears even. Overwhelmed with love for him, she had enjoyed their night of love making far more than she would have thought she would.

Now, as she looked at him, she felt that ache again between her legs and she wanted him so badly that she couldn’t even find it in her to be ashamed of herself. She was a married woman and she loved her husband, much like he loved her. They could enjoy one another whenever they pleased, without judgment from anyone. She took a moment to look at the sparkling ring on her finger. It fit her perfectly and she couldn’t believe that it wasn’t until now that she had noticed how much resemblance it held to the ring that had once belonged to her mother. It seemed newer though, and Kate was certain that her mother’s hands had been larger than hers. She had tried on her mother’s ring a few times when she had been living at the castle and it had always been too loose around her ring finger.

“Do you always think this loudly in the morning?”

She looked at Seth who had woken up while she had been deep in thought. His arm that rested over her stomach hooked around her more firmly as he turned on his side, pulling her toward him. Kate couldn’t help the laughter that fell from her lips right before he kissed her, his tongue finding hers immediately, stroking and curling, making her dizzy. She held the cover over her bare chest, not really sure why she bothered with it. Seth had already seen all of her, just like she had seen him.

“Good morning,” she said once they pulled apart, her forehead pressing against his.

“Morning,” he repeated after her, his fingers pushing her hair back as he kissed the hollow of her throat. “How are you feeling today?”

“Wonderful,” she replied, earning a look from him. She rolled her eyes, still smiling, “And sore… But it’s in a good way, I promise.”

“Hm…” Seth hummed, brushing his nose against her skin, inhaling deeply before pressing his lips against the mark on her shoulder. It had faded somewhat, but the white lines were still there, always would be. It didn’t matter to her though, because it served as a memory of what they had accomplished together.

“You never told me where you got the ring,” she said, finally putting words to her previous thoughts.

Seth paused his ministrations and looked at her, making her turn over so that she could face him fully. “Why do you ask?” he questioned, but she could tell that he wasn’t really bothered with her asking.

“It looks a bit like my mother’s ring,” Kate said. “I wasn’t sure how you knew or if-”

“I talked to your father that night,” he cut her off. Kate stared at him and he shrugged, looking almost uncomfortable with his revelation. “When Richard and I were on our way to the harbor, I remembered the promise I made you in the cabin. I couldn’t leave for the Freeland without returning you your crown. When I retrieved it and thought about our time together, I realized that couldn’t leave you behind,” he explained. “But I didn’t want to just take you away so I sneaked into your father’s chapel and asked for his blessing.”

“You asked my father for his blessing,” Kate repeated slowly, her fingers moving over his skin again, tracing his tattoo. “Does that mean that you asked him for my hand in marriage as well?”

Seth scrunched up his nose and she almost laughed. For a man who was used to just stealing what he wanted, he seemed to have gone out of his way to make sure that she became his.

“It was implied, I’m certain,” he said. “Your father left for a bit and I’m assuming it was to go and speak to you. When he came back, he handed me your mother’s ring and told me to make an honest woman out of you.” Kate’s heart warmed at the thought that her father had done that. His words to her that night made more sense now. She looked down at the ring and he seemed to understand what she was thinking. “I went to town and got it resized for you,” he explained. “They polished it as well and repaired the side-stones.”

“I love you,” Kate told him, her words blurting out before she moved over him, pressing her lips to his. Kissing him was something she was used to, but moving her legs so that they rested on either side of him was new to her. The night before, he had pleasured her in more ways than one, but he had remained in control because she had wanted him to be. He was more experienced than her but she was hoping that she too could learn to take charge, much like she was doing now.

Seth’s fingers tangled in her hair as he groaned against her lips, his hips surging upward. She could feel him hard beneath her and a moan tore from her throat as his hands slowly found their way to her breasts. The sheet pooled around her waist and Kate could feel her face blushing, but she wasn’t embarrassed at all, especially not when Seth’s fingers moved downward to grasp her hips.

“Fuck, _Kate,_ ” Seth groaned as she moved her fingers over his pulsing length. She couldn’t even believe that he had been inside of her, but he _had_ , twice if one counted the time that they had woken up during the night filled with need.

Circling her fingers around him, she tightened her grip a bit, but not too much. His breath came out in hard pants as his hooded gaze fell on where her hand moved slowly up and down, thumb brushing over the head of him, like he had showed her the night before when he had tried to teach her what he liked after she had asked him to.

“I love you,” she said again and he leaned forward, lifting her slightly and she understood what he wanted; what he _needed._ She allowed him to help her guide him into her wet heat, gasping as she felt him stretch her, much like the night before. Her soreness was forgotten as Seth clasped their fingers together and she pushed their intertwined hands over his head as she leaned down over him. Shifting forward, she moaned when pleasure ripped through her. Slowly, she moved, mimicking the movements that they had practiced the night before, picking up pace slowly as Seth whispered encouragement.

“Just like that, sweetheart,” he said. “You’re fucking perfect.”

He lifted his head and nipped at her breasts, teeth grazing over her hardened nipples, making her whimper. She needed _more._

As if sensing it, Seth let go of her hands, only to push himself up into a sitting position. He halted her movements long enough so that he could wrap her legs around his waist and Kate looked down between them as he started moving again, his hands gripping her and making her move with him.

The sight of him entering her made her heady. Kate pressed her lips against his throat, Seth swallowed back a moan as he wrapped his arms around her. She clutched his shoulders, without a doubt making new marks on him that would cover the ones from the previous night. Seth moved forward and Kate’s back gently came to rest on the mattress again. She looked up at him, at the lips that she had kissed swollen, the brown of his eyes darker than before. He moved quickly inside of her, pounding into her and she could make out the signs of his release nearing. It was all in the way that his grip on her tightened and he slowly began losing the rhythm he had set, snapping into her like a man who had been to war and never expected to see his wife again.

His name fell from her lips as she trembled, an explosion of warmth running through her body, making her see nothing but white for a second. He thrust a few more times before tensing, whispering her name against her skin as he pressed kisses all over her face. His hair was matted with sweat as she ran her fingers through it, feeling him pulse as he spilled inside of her. Looking up at him, she smiled when she saw his uncertain look and she had no idea how he could still doubt that he was worth having this; having her.

As he untangled from her slowly, he groaned, falling again to lay on his back. Kate turned into him, throwing her arm over his chest, gently running her nails over him there. His arm wrapped around her and he lifted the sheet to cover them both, her more than him.

“I’m such a fucking bastard,” he said, but it was lighthearted, and she smiled up at him.

“Yes,” she agreed, the sun lighting up her face as she leaned over him, her lips softly pressing against his. “But you’re also the man I love.”

Seth looked at her, fingers brushing against her cheek softly. His legs tangled with hers and Kate laughed as he pulled her so that she laid on top of him once more. He watched her, a smile on his own lips, unlike any other that she had ever seen him direct at her before.

“I love you,” he said and she sighed against his lips before resting her head on his chest, letting the sun warm them as his fingers trailed over her body and happiness and contentment surrounded them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sigh*, a happily ever after indeed. Thank you so much for reading this little fic. I enjoyed writing it so, so much and I hope you liked it as well. If you did, please drop a few lines and share your thoughts. I'm going to be accepting SethKate prompts on my Tumblr (author123456) because I feel like we need more fics in this fandom (I've already read most of the works here on AO3). I'm also available on my Twitter (Sugar_Pepper666). Message me, DM me or whatever. I like talking to people. Thanks for all the support! Until next time, Xx.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are golden! Thank you for reading! xx


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